“Strong ABC Drama Has a Weakness: Homefront, Set In A
Suburb of Cleveland in The 1940s, Has Some 1991 Political Messages”
by Mark Dawidziak, Akron Beacon Journal, September 24,
1991
Co-created by Cleveland native Bernard Lechowick, ABC’s Homefront is a series that should hit close to home for Northeast Ohio viewers. Drawing on his parents’ experiences and memories, the writer-producer set the rookie drama in River Run, a fictional Cleveland suburb.
But, if Lechowick and the other writers can’t resist the temptation to sneak modern sensibilities into what is otherwise an outstanding drama, the folks of River Run won’t be enjoying a long prime-time run. Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of wonderful reasons to like Homefront, which gets a special 90-minute preview tonight at 9:30. The performances are strong. The production values are high.
And some of the beautifully framed scenes linger in your memory like a Norman Rockwell painting. While nostalgia is a selling point in Homefront, it never lapses into the sappy variety.
Still, despite these considerable strengths, Homefront hits more than a few notes that fail to ring true. There are jarring moments of incongruity that shatter the illusion of prime-time-travel.
The justifications behind these false tones are admirable. Lechowick and Lynn Marie Latham (his co-producer, writing partner and wife of 10 years) are trying to make points about civil rights and the women’s movement.
Good for them. Yet in making Homefront politically correct, they sometimes make it historically incorrect. Characters speak and act as if the calendar said 1991 instead of 1945.
To cover such fudging, a catch-all term has been coined. It’s been making the rounds in Hollywood – “universal time.”
What is universal time? Well, if something isn’t historically accurate, you say, “We’re not really dealing with the ’40s here. This is set in universal time.”
In other words, you get to have it both ways. You get to play the nostalgia angle without any obligation to accuracy. Conservatives get a dose of coming-home family drama about “the real war” while liberals get the correct political messages.
Yes, universal time is merely another term for cheating. Why do all the homework for Homefront? It just gets in the way.
Although the large Homefront cast is packed with fresh faces, there are a few prime-time veterans: Mimi Kennedy (Three Girls Three, Spencer, Homeroom, Family Man), Tammy Lauren (The Best Times, Morning Star/Evening Star) and Dick Anthony Williams (Our Family Honor, Heart of the City and Malcolm X in the PBS production of The Meeting).
In tonight’s opener, Hank (David Newson) is returning home to marry his fiancée, Sarah (Alexandra Wilson), but Sarah has fallen in love with Hank’s younger brother, Jeff (Kyle Chandler).
Hank’s sister, Linda (Jessica Steen), is waiting for Mike, but Mike has taken an Italian war bride (Giuliana Santini). His parents, wealthy Michael and Ruth Sloan (New Boston native Ken Jenkins and Kennedy), haven’t been told.
Also waiting for their son to return are the Sloans’ chauffeur and maid, Abe and Gloria Davis (Williams and Hattie Winston). They hope Robert (Sterling Macer Jr.) can get a job in the local factory, which is owned by the Sloan family.
Then there’s Ginger (Lauren), who is engaged to Charlie (Harry O’Reilly), who has taken an English bride (Sammi Davis-Voss).
After tonight’s opener, Homefront will move into the 10-11 p.m. Tuesday time slot left vacant by the cancellation of thirtysomething.
The producers plan to take the characters into the late ’40s and through the ’50s. It’s an ambitious goal, considering that they still need to get 1945 on the right nostalgia track.